In 2023, the crude birth rate in live births per 1,000 inhabitants in China stood at 6.39. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 14.47, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In 2024, the average number of children born per 1,000 people in China ranged at ****. The birth rate has dropped considerably since 2016, and the number of births fell below the number of deaths in 2022 for the first time in decades, leading to a negative population growth rate. Recent development of the birth rate Similar to most East-Asian countries and territories, demographics in China today are characterized by a very low fertility rate. As low fertility in the long-term limits economic growth and leads to heavy strains on the pension and health systems, the Chinese government decided to support childbirth by gradually relaxing strict birth control measures, that had been in place for three decades. However, the effect of this policy change was considerably smaller than expected. The birth rate increased from **** births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2010 to ***** births in 2012 and remained on a higher level for a couple of years, but then dropped again to a new low in 2018. This illustrates that other factors constrain the number of births today. These factors are most probably similar to those experienced in other developed countries as well: women preferring career opportunities over maternity, high costs for bringing up children, and changed social norms, to name only the most important ones. Future demographic prospects Between 2020 and 2023, the birth rate in China dropped to formerly unknown lows, most probably influenced by the coronavirus pandemic. As all COVID-19 restrictions were lifted by the end of 2022, births figures showed a catch-up effect in 2024. However, the scope of the rebound might be limited. A population breakdown by five-year age groups indicates that the drop in the number of births is also related to a shrinking number of people with child-bearing age. The age groups between 15 and 29 years today are considerably smaller than those between 30 and 44, leaving less space for the birth rate to increase. This effect is exacerbated by a considerable gender gap within younger age groups in China, with the number of females being much lower than that of males.

Hong Kong HK: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 8.300 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 8.200 Ratio for 2015. Hong Kong HK: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 13.000 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 35.246 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 6.900 Ratio in 2003. Hong Kong HK: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Malaysia Crude Birth Rate: per 1000 Persons: Citizens: Chinese data was reported at 9.900 NA in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.200 NA for 2014. Malaysia Crude Birth Rate: per 1000 Persons: Citizens: Chinese data is updated yearly, averaging 14.600 NA from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2015, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.300 NA in 1993 and a record low of 9.900 NA in 2015. Malaysia Crude Birth Rate: per 1000 Persons: Citizens: Chinese data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Malaysia – Table MY.G005: Vital Statistics: Live Births & Crude Birth Rate.

The total fertility rate in China increased by 0.02 children per woman (+1.72 percent) in 2022. In total, the fertility rate amounted to 1.18 children per woman in 2022. This increase was preceded by a declining fertility rate.The total fertility rate is the average number of children that a woman of childbearing age (generally considered 15 to 44 years) can hypothetically expect to have throughout her reproductive years. As fertility rates are estimates (similar to life expectancy), they refer to a hypothetical woman or cohort, and estimates assume that current age-specific fertility trends would remain constant throughout this person's reproductive years.Find more statistics on other topics about China with key insights such as death rate, number of tuberculosis infections , and crude birth rate.

Macau MO: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 12.146 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 11.992 Ratio for 2015. Macau MO: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 12.146 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30.459 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 7.371 Ratio in 2004. Macau MO: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Macau SAR – Table MO.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. In 1930, China's fertility rate was 5.5 children per woman, and this number then dropped to just under five over the next fifteen years, as China experienced a civil war and the Second World War. The fertility rate rose rather quickly after this to over 6.1 in 1955, before dropping again in the late 1950s, as Chairman Mao's 'Great Leap Forward' failed to industrialize the nation, and resulted in widespread famine that killed an estimated 45 million people. In the decade following this, China's fertility rate reached it's highest level in 1970, before the implementation of the two-child policy in the 1970s, and the one-child policy** in the 1980s, which radically changed the population structure. The fertility rate fell to an all time low in the early 2000s, where it was just 1.6 children per woman. However this number has increased to 1.7 today, and the two-child policy was reintroduced in 2016, replacing the one-child policy that had been effective for over 36 years.

Malaysia Live Births: Citizens: Chinese data was reported at 65.574 Person th in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 69.985 Person th for 2015. Malaysia Live Births: Citizens: Chinese data is updated yearly, averaging 87.500 Person th from Dec 1993 (Median) to 2016, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 117.000 Person th in 2000 and a record low of 65.574 Person th in 2016. Malaysia Live Births: Citizens: Chinese data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Malaysia – Table MY.G006: Vital Statistics: Live Births & Crude Birth Rate.

Hong Kong HK: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 6.400 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.300 Ratio for 2015. Hong Kong HK: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 5.100 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.400 Ratio in 2016 and a record low of 4.600 Ratio in 1985. Hong Kong HK: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

BackgroundChina implemented a partial two-child policy (2013) followed by a universal two-child policy (2015), replacing the former one-child policy mandated by the government. The changes affect many aspects of China’s population as well as maternal and infant health, but their potential impact on birth defects (BDs) remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the associations of these policy changes with BDs in Zhejiang Province, China.Methods and findingsWe used data from the BD surveillance system in Zhejiang Province, China, which covers 90 hospitals in 30 urban districts and rural counties, capturing one-third of the total births in this province. To fully consider the time interval between conception and delivery, we defined the one-child policy period as data from 2013 (births from October 2012 to September 2013), the partial two-child policy period as data from 2015 (births from October 2014 to September 2015), and the universal two-child policy period as data from 2017 (births from October 2016 to September 2017). Data from 2009 and 2011 were also used to show the changes in the proportion of births to women with advanced maternal age (35 years and older) prior to the policy changes. Main outcome measures were changes in the proportion of mothers with advanced maternal age, prevalence of BDs, rankings of BD subtypes by prevalence, prenatal diagnosis rate, and live birth rate of BDs over time. A total of 1,260,684 births (including live births, early fetal losses, stillbirths, and early neonatal deaths) were included in the analyses. Of these, 644,973 (51.16%) births were to women from urban areas, and 615,711 (48.84%) births were to women from rural areas. In total, 135,543 (10.75%) births were to women with advanced maternal age. The proportion increased by 85.68%, from 8.52% in 2013 to 15.82% in 2017. However, it had remained stable prior to policy changes. Overall, 23,095 BDs were identified over the policy changes (2013–2017). The prevalence of BDs during 2013, 2015, and 2017 was 245.95, 264.86, and 304.36 per 10,000 births, respectively. Trisomy 21 and other chromosomal defects increased in both risk and ranking from 2013 to 2017 (crude odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 2.13 [1.75–2.60], from ranking 10th to 5th, and 3.63 [2.84–4.69], from ranking 16th to 6th, respectively). The prenatal diagnosis rate increased by 3.63 (2.2–5.1) percentage points (P < 0.001), from 31.10% to 34.72%, and identification of BDs occurred 1.88 (1.81–1.95) weeks earlier (P < 0.001). The live birth rate for infants with BDs born before 28 gestational weeks increased from 1.29% to 11.45%. The major limitations of this observational study include an inability to establish causality and the possible existence of unknown confounding factors, some of which could contribute to BDs.ConclusionsIn this study, we observed significant increases in maternal age and the prevalence of total and age-related anomalies following China’s new two-child policy. Increases in live birth rate for infants with BDs born before 28 gestational weeks suggest that healthcare for very preterm births with BDs may be warranted in the future, as well as updating the definition of perinatal period.

Macau MO: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.311 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.280 Ratio for 2015. Macau MO: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.499 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.772 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 0.827 Ratio in 2004. Macau MO: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Macau SAR – Table MO.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

For most of the past two centuries, falling birth rates have been associated with societal progress. During the demographic transition, where pre-industrial societies modernize in terms of fertility and mortality, falling death rates, especially among infants and children, are the first major change. In response, as more children survive into adulthood, women have fewer children as the need to compensate for child mortality declines. This transition has happened at different times across the world and is an ongoing process, with early industrial countries being the first to transition, and Sub-Saharan African countries being the most recent to do so. Additionally, some Asian countries (particularly China through government policy) have gone through their demographic transitions at a much faster pace than those deemed more developed. Today, in countries such as Japan, Italy, and Germany, birth rates have fallen well below death rates; this is no longer considered a positive demographic trend, as it leads to natural population decline, and may create an over-aged population that could place a burden on healthcare systems.

This statistic shows the fertility rate in east Asian countries between 2010 to 2015. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by one woman while being of child-bearing age. Between 2010 to 2015, the fertility rate in China was **** children per woman.

Macau MO: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 3.806 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.753 Ratio for 2015. Macau MO: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 4.856 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.651 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 3.666 Ratio in 2011. Macau MO: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Macau SAR – Table MO.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Version 2.0 2015 estimates of numbers of live births per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN national estimates on numbers of live births (http://esa.un.org/wpp/).

DATASET: Alpha version 2010, 2012, 2015, 2020, 2025, 2030, and 2035 estimates of numbers of live births per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN national estimates on numbers of live births (http://esa.un.org/wpp/). REGION: Asia SPATIAL RESOLUTION: 0.000833333 decimal degrees (approx 100m at the equator) PROJECTION: Geographic, WGS84 UNITS: Estimated births per grid square MAPPING APPROACH: Tatem AJ, Campbell J, Guerra-Arias M, de Bernis L, Moran A, Matthews Z, 2014, Mapping for maternal and newborn health: the distributions of women of childbearing age, pregnancies and births, International Journal of Health Geographics, 13:2 FORMAT: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool): www.7-zip.org) FILENAMES: Example - AZE2010adjustedBirths.tif = Azerbaijan (AZE) births count map for 2010 adjusted to match UN national estimates on numbers of live births. DATE OF PRODUCTION: May 2014

Hong Kong HK: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data was reported at 2.768 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.831 Ratio for 2015. Hong Kong HK: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data is updated yearly, averaging 6.952 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 43.955 Ratio in 1962 and a record low of 2.768 Ratio in 2016. Hong Kong HK: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Adolescent fertility rate is the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19.; ; United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects.; Weighted average;

Hong Kong HK: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.205 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.196 Ratio for 2015. Hong Kong HK: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.355 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.030 Ratio in 1961 and a record low of 0.901 Ratio in 2003. Hong Kong HK: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

Macau MO: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data was reported at 2.625 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.727 Ratio for 2015. Macau MO: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data is updated yearly, averaging 6.418 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13.169 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 2.625 Ratio in 2016. Macau MO: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Macau SAR – Table MO.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Adolescent fertility rate is the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19.; ; United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects.; Weighted average;

Version 2.0 2015 estimates of numbers of pregnancies per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match national estimates on numbers of pregnancies made by the Guttmacher Institute (http://www.guttmacher.org)